You just keep telling yourself that...

This weekend I had the kids signing their names to Great Grandma Elliott's birthday card when Isaac's excuse for not being able to write his letters had me in tears...

Kiera:  MOM!  Isaac just keeps scribbling!  He won't write!
Mom:  Kiera!  Isaac is FOUR!  He can't write his letters yet. His fingers don't know how to make the pen do what he wants.
Isaac:  Yes I can!  My fingers know my letters.  But the pen doesn't write berry good...

Our Volunteer

A volunteer popped up under our porch this summer, quickly showing it's exuberance!

 

 

After camping last weekend, I had to cut it back- a LOT.  It had completely overgrown our steps so that we couldn't even get to the door!  I thought I should take some pictures since the flowers were so easily visible and cheerful after the chopping.

 

What do you think it is?  I wasn't sure... It looks like a squash plant, but it also has the curly tendrils of a melon...

 

The bees like the flowers as much as I do!

And here it is... we have a mini-pumpkin plant!  They are SO cute!!!

Such good girls...

 

This picture just makes me happy :)

Funny Caleb

Caleb likes to climb in this "big boy" chair.  I thought I would capture some pictures of him maneuvering around... and managed to capture some funny little faces too! :)

This one is priceless!!!

 Here (above) he is trying to say "down" with his hands... Then he proceeds to get himself down- for the first time!  Before he has needed help, thinking he was stuck.



 

Juvenile Praying Mantis

I found this little fella when I was weeding the other day.  I actually found two, but only put one in the jar to show Gabe.  These babies were about half the size of a adult praying mantis- SUPER cute!  For some reason though, Kiera took it on herself to take pictures for Daddy and then let him go.  Here's the in-focus ones :)

 

For Sale

The girls and I have been working hard coming up with some NICE things for them to make and sell as a way to earn money... We finally found a few good ideas. 

Trying to paint rocks... I've painted a few rocks as ladybugs and such.  Kiera especially is my little painter- but the patience to really do a good job is still developing!  She'd rather have quantity over quality... But we are working on it!  Annoyingly enough, we got a good dozen done, but with a new bottle of paint (different that the ones I had practiced with) which washed off when the sprinklers hit it... I wasn't exactly thinking ahead. :(

Lavender Sachets...  One day I posted on Facebook that Kiera was valiantly trying to sell lemonade and lavender sprigs on our street, and Aunt Rebecca from California sent the girls a check in exchange for some lavender sachets!  Yesterday the girls ordered some DARLING purple organza bags with butterflies on them using their own money!  Yay for true-to-life business practices!  (Now, when do we introduce taxes? LOL!)

Glass marble magnets... Still working on this idea, but thinking it is do-able and cute!!!

The Farmer's Market Kids Day is the last Saturday of the month; Gabe and I are working out the details of taking the girls!

Who is the artist?

Fun with the Man Child

 

Making a marble tower with two tracks seriously stretched my brain.  TWO TRACKS, people!  For this non-engineering chica- that is nigh unto impossible...  But for him?  Joy- boundless joy!

What's it worth?

 

 

Cleaning up:  a little work

 

Making memories with Isaac:  Priceless :)

Where are all these page views coming from?

I really want to know... So someone please comment and tell me.  Why are my page views suddenly up 4x's what they normally are?  If you've never visited this blog before, please tell me... why are you here?  I don't recognize the site from which blogger is saying the traffic is arriving...

Seriously.  I'm wondering if I need to make my blog private.  Anybody else's blog count freaking out?